Metallurgical-furnace construction



y 1930. G. 1.. DANI-ORTH. JR

METALLURGI CAL FURNACE CONS TRUCT I ON Filed Dec. 27. 1921 "2 Sheets-Sheet 1 QQMM y 1930. G. DANFORTH, JR'- 1,769,209

' METALLURGICAL FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec.'27, 1921 2 SheetS Sheet 2 I i C 7 v A I, I V 1 C Patented July 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. DANFOBTII, JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS; TO OPEN HEARTH COMBUSTION COMPANY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A.

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE v METALLURGICAL-FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Application filed December 27, 1921. Serial No. 525,101.

This invention relates to a new and improved metallurgical furnace construction and more particularly to an arrangement of fuel and air ports for use in such furnaces.

As is well known in the art, metallurgical furnaces of the open hearth or similar types are double-ended and are periodically re- ,versed in their use. Ports are provided at /each end of the furnace and these ports serve 1 alternately to introduce the air and fuel and to carry off the products of combustion. The volume of thb products of combustion considerably exceeds that of the air and fuel. The ports must be of such area as to adequately take care of the increased vol-- ume of the products of combustiombut it has proven in practice that when designed with this objectin view, they do not adequately control and direct the incoming air andv gas audit is diflicult to secure such admixture of fuel and air as to give a flame of proper lengthand direction.

In .the patent to McKune, No. 1,339,855 of May 11, 1920, a structure has been shown intended to remedy these defects, but Mc- 'Kunes furnace is capable of use only with coke oven gas or similar rich gases which are not preheated.

It is an ob ect of the present invention to provide associated air and gas ports for furnaces of this type which ports are adapt- .ed to readily remove the products of combustion and yet which are so controlled and related as to properly direct the incoming air and fuel.,

It is a further object toprovide a construction of this character which is adapted for use either with producer gas or similar 40 gases which are preheated or with richergases such as coke-oven gas which are not preheated. I

It is also an object' to provide a design which is relatively simple and which may be applied to em'sting furnaces without an of Figure 5.

undue amount of change and reconstruction of existing structure, I

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Broadly, my invention comprises a gas passage at each end of the furnace, an air port associated with each gas passage, and supplemental passages at each end of the furnace adapted. to carry ofi the products of combustion. The air and gas passages at each endof the furnace terminate in a single port and in the preferred form, the gas passage enters the port in advance of'the entrance of the air passage into the port.

In thepreferred form, the supplemental pas.

sages terminate in ports parallel to and in substantially the same plane with the combined air and fuel port. The supplemental I passages are preferably controlled by dampers. 5 I have illustrated certain preferred embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing one end of a furnace constructed according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 ofFigure1; Y e Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 a of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form of construction;

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and,

Figure 6 is a section taken on line Referring first to the form of construce tion shown in Figures 1 to 3, the furnace comprises a melting chamber 8, the air uptake 9, the gas uptake 10, the combined air and gas port 11 and the supplemental ports 12. The downtakes 13 lead down from the supplemental ports 12 and these downtakes are controlled by the horizontally slidable dampers 14. v 00 H so The form shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 is similar to that shown in the preceding figures but has in addition the gas inlet pipes 15 which lead into the gas passage 10 immediately below the entrance from the gas passage into the combined air and gas port 11'. As shown, the combined air and gas port is somewhat contracted in horizontal section as it approaches the point of dis charge into the melting chamber and the supplemental ports 12 are correspondingly increased toward the point at which they meet the melting chamber.

In the use of the form of furnace shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the incoming air passes through suitable regenerative chambers (not shown) and thus up the uptake 9 and is directed downwardly into the melting chamher by the upper wall of the port 11. The gas, which will ordinarily be also pre-heated in a similar manner, comes up the gas uptake 10 and intersects the forwardly moving stream of air .in the port 11. Due to their angle of intersection and their relative movement, they quickly intermingle and form a comparatively short flame which is properly directed toward the metal in the melting chamber by the port 11. This intermixture is aided by inward inclination of the side walls of the port.

Upon the opposite end of the furnace, the products of combustion are carried olfthrough the port 11 and downtakes 9 and 10 and also through the supplemental ports 12 and downtakes 13, the dampers 14: being drawn outwardly to fully open the downtakes. It is to be understood that uponthe incoming end of the furnace, the dampers 14 will normally be fully closed so that-no air will enter the furnace save through the uptake 9. i

The form of construction shown in Figures 4:, 5 and 6 may be operated in manner entirely similar to that just described. However, this form of construction may be used in connection with rich gases such as cokeoven gas which are introduced through relatively small pipes and which are not preheated. In this case, the fuel gas willbe introduced through the pipes 15 and passing upward from the gas passage 10 will mix with the air stream in the port 11'.

It is to be understood that the forms of construction shown in the drawings are somewhat diagrammatic in character and I am aware that many modifications may be made to adapt my design to various uses and constructions. It is my intention to cover all such modifications coming within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 3

1. In a metallurgical furnace, a,gas uptake at each end of the furnace, a port associated with each'gas uptake, the port extending rearwardly beyond the gas uptake and an air uptake leading into each port in the rear of the gas uptake.

2. In a metallurgical furnace, a gas uptake at each end of the furnace, a port as sociated with each gas uptake, the port extending rearwardly beyond the gas uptake, an air uptake leading into each port in the rear of the gas uptake, and supplemental ports at each end of the furnace adapted to carry off the products of combustion.

3. In a metallur ical furnace, .a gas up.- take at each end of the furnace, a port associated with each gas uptake, the port extending rearwardly beyond the gas uptake, an air uptake leading into each port in the rear of the gas uptake, and supplemental ports upon each side of each gas port adapted to carry off a portion of the products of combustion;

4. In a metallurgical furnace, a gas uptake a each end of the furnace, a port associated with each gas uptake, the port extending rearwardly beyond the gas uptake, an air uptake leading into each port 111 the rear of the gas uptake, and supplemental ports upon each side of each gas port, adapted to carry off the products of combustion, said supplemental ports being provided with damper controls.

5. In a metallurgical furnace, a gas uptake at each end of the furnace, a port associated with each gas uptake, the port extending rearwardly beyond the gas uptake, an air uptake leading into each port In the rear of the gas uptake, and laterally spaced supplemental ports upon each side of each gas port adapted to carry off the products of combustion.

6. In a reversible regenerative metallurgical furnace, three laterally spaced, substantially parallel, ports at each end of the furnace, downtakes for the products of combustion associated with each of the outer ports, air uptakes entering the rear of each intermediate port and a gas passage entering each intermediate port in advance of the entrance of the air uptake.

7. In a reversible regenerative metallurgical furnace, three laterally spaced, substantially parallel, ports at each end of the furnace, damper controlled downtakes for the products of combustion associated with each of the outer ports, air uptakes entering the rear of each intermediate port and a gas uptake entering each intermediate port in advance of the entrance of the air uptake.

8. A regenerative furnace having a hearth, a combined gas and air port at each of the opposite ends, a vertical air flue opening into said port, a vertical gas flue opening into said port at a point forward of said air flue. and at least one air port arranged to the one side of said combined gas and air port, a vertical air flue opening into said last named port, and a valve for opening and closing said last named flue.

9, A furnace, a melting chamber therein, a centrally arranged combustion chamber at one end, a regenerator for producer gas, means leading the gas from the regenerator to the combustion chamber, air flues opening into the furnace at opposite sides of the combustion chamber, an air regenerator, means leading regenerated air to the said flues, and means leading a portion of the regenerated air into the combustion chamber at the rear of the entrance of the gas thereinto.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day of December, 1921.

GEORGE L. DANFORTH, JR. 

